Who’s going to be there?
I’ll be there with my Morgan mare doing the LD.
Ill be there for the 25/ with my tb gelding…his first ride.
and with 2 other friends … one to do the 25 with me, the other is doing the 50.
email me for contact information > [email]brightskyfarm@hotmail.com[/email]
we'[ll definitely meet up .... !!Wow! Just looked at the website- 143 entries!!!
2011 was 133 and 2012 was 149, so that sounds about right. “Zoo” is a very apt word for Foxcatcher starts 
Foxcatcher 25 had 77 entries — the 50 had 60.
My friend Kathy Shank placed 8th in the 50! (applause here!!!!!!) and I placed 24th in the 25 (yea!!! bravo!!)
My boy secret showed he has the stuff and offered me the best ride I’ve ever had yet on him. A true gentleman the entire time from standing in the rain Friday night in his teeny temporary paddock to looking proud and being mannerly for the vet checks. What a great adventure!!
The start was a bit crazy … the girl I was going to ride the 25 with opted up the 50 – so I found some people I thought we were pacing out well with – but at the start …they took off! at a flat out!!
I quickly reined him in with a few spins and got him back in hand without too much upset …leaving me riding between the 2 packs at the start – about 4-5 miles into the ride I did find myself pacing well with a gentleman riding a Missouri Fox Trotter –
the horses got along well, seemed to feed off each other and with the delightful conversation we had a great ride!
Along the say, Sally Jellison cam on us with her oretty grey mare, Gracie – who in heat, was a bit of a handful … she was spooking at bridges and well…any excuse would do… as we came to the covered bridge, Sally was concerned…but I told her to tail me and just give the push and well… we crossed it without a problem … then …off she went to finish 8th! (a 1/2hr ahead of me)…
The weather was perfect, the footing was great even with the rain before – the trails perfectly marked – and riders were cordial and polite !
I have to mention the vets and hold timers - effecient, moving everyone through well and quickly …no confusing – even for me first time doing this ride… was easy.
I did learn with my horse that he recovers so well,I could consider presenting immediately on arriving to holds … I lost 15 minutes untacking, bathing …etc… my crew grabbed me at the finish and we presented in 4 mintues ! …ah, we learn
I met a lot of people I had been FB'ing with -- and had known from previous rides (years ago). Tabula ... sorry I misesd you , forgot to take your phone number... :(
next ride? … hummm… looking over the calendar :yes:
Sorry I missed you too- We didn’t have such a great trip. She was really, really wound up and ended up tweaking something in her right hind on that horrible mud, right about 2 miles out from the 15 mile check. They vetted her through and said just take it easy on the next lap, but when I got back on, she definitely did not feel right so I rider optioned. The treatment vet looked at her and said she thought it was good decision because she didn’t think she’d get passed at the last check.
Good news is that she looks great this morning and all the tightness I could palp yesterday afternoon is gone. I think we’re going to take it easy for the next little bit and work on getting her brain back some (we did a horrible TROT ride the week before and I think it totally blew her mind) and then we’ll aim for some rides this fall.
Congrats brightskyfarm on you and your friend’s rides!
Thank you — and shame about your luck …! 
I know its a bit of a haul … but you are always welcome to plan a training ride with me – hes sane, sensible and forward to doing anything …
He lead a lot of riders over water, over bridges, through covered bridges yersterday – it was hard to tell he was a newbie out there.!
PM me … Id like to consider the No Frills…but that would be a lot to do in 2 weeks – with better planning Id already have said yes by now… so, we’ll see…
Tabula, I’m sorry your ride didn’t go so well but you did the smart thing when you pulled your lovely horse.
I had a truly miserable ride at the same TROT ride. My horse was so wound up it was just a miserable ride. I’m just glad he didn’t get kicked! I had sore biceps for days afterwards. I’m sure we were one of the reasons your horse got excited. I am just not going to take him to those large “pleasure” rides again. I’ll stick to training rides with friends who I know we work well with. It really is easier work with smaller group of horses who all work at the same speed.
Bonnie
[QUOTE=chicamuxen1;6940096]
Tabula, I’m sorry your ride didn’t go so well but you did the smart thing when you pulled your lovely horse.
I had a truly miserable ride at the same TROT ride. My horse was so wound up it was just a miserable ride. I’m just glad he didn’t get kicked! I had sore biceps for days afterwards. I’m sure we were one of the reasons your horse got excited. I am just not going to take him to those large “pleasure” rides again. I’ll stick to training rides with friends who I know we work well with. It really is easier work with smaller group of horses who all work at the same speed.
Bonnie[/QUOTE]
Thank Bonnie
And that was a truly awful ride, wasn’t it? I honestly don’t think your horse (or the nice mare your friend was riding) was a problem at all, he was just way excited like Esme from all the other commotion. I’m thinking the main culprit was that chestnut mare that wanted to kick everyone and someone else that kept running in to me (but I’m not sure who it was?? I think maybe the guy on the Icelandic?), not to mention all the dead stop, go like a bat outta h$ll, dead stop thing. That was the third TROT ride that I’ve done that was awful and unsafe and I think I’ve had the lesson drilled into me- no more pleasure group rides like that!! It kind of bothers me that TROT is who represents us as trail riders to our state government most often:no:
Really, TROT is a great trail advocacy group. The location we rode at, North Track, was about to make some equestrian decisions that would have just about ended trail riding there. And a couple of TROT members worked with the management and worked things out for us trail riders. I have come to the conclusion that it is far easier to ride in smaller groups with some horses, especially many of those being trained for distance riding. Now my other horse copes better with a crowd.
I’m am NOT fond of that issue of stop, go and riding with horses with such disparate gaits! Just isn’t a fun ride and if we can’t enjoy ourselves then let’s not do it!
Bonnie
